Adapted from the James Baldwin novel of the same name, If Beale Street Could Talk (2018) is writer-director Barry Jenkins follow-up to the Academy Award-winning film Moonlight (2016). Set against the backdrop of early 1970's Harlem, New York, Beale Street is a love story. It follows two people: Clementine Rivers and Lonzo Hunt as they begin a romantic relationship after being friends for all of their life. As they grow deeper and deeper in love, they must find a place to live. They find this difficult because very few people will rent an apartment to black people. However, they find an apartment and continue their lives together. Until, that is, Lonzo is arrested for a crime which he did not commit. A racist police officer accuses him of committing rape, even though it would have been impossible for him to do so. Lonzo has just started his stay in jail when Clementine tells him that she is pregnant with their child. This upsets Lonzo tremendously but after some deliberation after failing to get the rape victim to recant her testimony, he accepts a plea deal, ensuring his stay in jail and ensuring his child is born with him in bars.
Although Beale Street was a magnificent critical success, it enjoyed very little success financially. Against a modest budget of only $12 million, the film made only $20.6 million back at the box office ($14.9 million of which was made in the U.S. and Canada; the rest was made in a few other territories). With that said, it was very critically successful. The critics consensus on movie review site Rotten Tomatoes, which conveniently sums up critics' thoughts of the movie, reads: "If Beale Street Could Talk honors its source material with a beautifully filmed adaptation that finds director Barry Jenkins further strengthening his visual and narrative craft." Richard Roeper also loved the film, writing: "A great American novel has been turned into a great American film."
However, there were some who did not enjoy the movie. Writes Leigh Paatsch of The Herald Sun (Australia): "While not one single performance...can be faulted, the movie seems disconnected from a story that has clearly unified and inspired its actors." At the Academy Awards, it was nominated for Best Original Score and Best Adapted Screenplay; it won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Regina King. While If Beale Street Could Talk will likely not be remembered as much as it perhaps should, it is still a tremendous film in the already illustrious filmography of Barry Jenkins.
